1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for generating energy, utilizing the BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) reaction and to a system for practicing the method.
2. Description of Prior Art
Presently, thermodynamic energy is generated in accordance with two known methods. With one of these methods, superheated steam is generated and subsequently expanded continuously in single-stage or multi-stage turbines. With the other method, energy is generated in explosion-combustion apparatuses. These two methods are sufficiently known to those skilled in the art and are not described further.
A new effect was encountered because of several explosion accidents and has been described by a number of scientists, but a sufficient physical explanation has not yet been found. This effect is known by the acronym BLEVE, in the applicable technical literature, which stands for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion. One of the most important articles in this respect was published by Prof. Robert C. Reid of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in American Scientist, Vol. 64 (Mar./Apr. 1976). Robert C. Reid describes in his article entitled "Superheated Liquids" the present knowledge regarding the so-called BLEVE-reaction. Mr. Reid describes a simple experiment using a bubble column, around which a heating wire is wound, the number of windings per unit of length of which increases towards the top. A host liquid contained in this bubble column is heated. A drop of a test liquid is injected into a bottom portion of the column. At the bottom of the column, the host liquid is heated to a temperature just below the boiling point of the test liquid while the temperature at the top portion of the bubble column is far above the boiling point of the test liquid. The drop of the test liquid rising in the bubble column thus is heated above its boiling point into a superheated range. Nucleation cannot take place, because there are no impurities in the host liquid and thus bubbles required for evaporation are not formed. As the drop of the test liquid continues to rise within the bubble column, it is superheated and an unexpected and complete explosion occurs.
The same effect can also be achieved with a liquid gas by heating it under pressure close to a saturated steam level and then allowing it to expand suddenly while maintaining a constant temperature, which leads to a violent explosion. If the rate of pressure change in connection with the explosion of, for example, black powder is comparable to the rate of pressure change during a BLEVE-reaction, the pressure generated by a BLEVE-reaction is approximately three times as great, and the reaction time during the pressure increase and decrease is only one-tenth of the reaction time for a conventional explosion. While, with a conventional explosion, the action is over in approximately 50 milliseconds, an explosion of superheated steam only takes approximately three milliseconds.
In spite of many tests and experiments, the BLEVE-reaction has not been used to generate energy.